Stringed musical instrument



E. B. HARRINGTON. STRlNGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION FILEID NOV. 15,4920- 1 ',392,053. PatentedSept. 27,1921;

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lllllllllllllllllllllllll E. B. HARRINGTON. STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT. APPLICATION'HLED NOV-.15, 1920.

1,392,053. e e pt 27,1921..

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or lowered as desired in order rality manipulation. thereof; and third, to provide,

sides and back of the same tive view of lower end of board against UNITED STATES, PA E OFFICE.

EUGENEB. HARRINGTON, or JAMns'rowN, NEW

C. FRED DANIELSON, OF

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, EUGENE B. HARRING- TON, a citizenof the United States, residing at the city of Jamestown, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stringed Musical Instruments, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification. p

The invention relates to stringed musical instruments; and the object of theimprovement is to provide, first, an arrangement of strings whereby the singing effect of the steel guitar is joined with other accompaniment strings a lead or melody instrument accompanied by one or more guitars or stringed instruments, and toward this end the strings for the said lead or melody instrument are placed alongside a group of accompaniment strings tunedto the same key sothat the steel used playing may extend over said group of ac- ,companlment strings and so that one stroke of the pick will strike both sets of strings; and second,a further improvement consists in rovidin an arm or dal actuation for rotatable fret or pitch bars by which the pitch of-said accompaniment strings may be raised desired accompaniment for, the guitar strings,1the provision being made for a pluof said rotatable fret bars and the a sound box having sound openings in the rather than in the soundboard so as to obtain increased resonating power for the sound board; and

the invention consists inthe novel features and combinations hereinafter set forth and claimed. f 5 I 'In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved harp in table form with pedal actuation for the rotatablepitch or fret bars. Fig. 2.is an inverted perspec the preferred form of sound box withthe back removed therefrom showing the bridging bar construction in the the same to support the sound the heavy draw of the strings. 1g. 31s acrosswise sectional view of said sound box on line 3+3 of Fig. 4, and Fig. 4

is a lengthwise sectional view of the sound box on line 4-4 of Fig. 1 showing the preferred arrangement of the same F ig. 5. is

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 15, 1920. Serial so attuned as to obtain the effect of to provide the YORK, ASSIGNOR or ONE-HALF 'ro J'AMESTOWN, NEW YORK.

STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

Patented Sept. 27,1921. No. 424,162.

the harp. Fig. 6 is an showing said connection to said rotatable pitch or fret bars in normal position; Fig. 7- shows one of said pitch or fret bars actuated by the partial-downward pressure on the hinged arm board; Fig. 8 shows the complete depression of said arm board and the actuation of both of said rotatable pitch or fret bars; and Fig. 9 is a sectional view of said arm board and the angular bracket support therefor at the end. Like characters of'reference refer to corresponding parts in the several views.

The numerallO designatesthe sound box which has the sound board llextendingover the top, the back 12, thefront side 13 and the rear side 14., and the pin block 16 and tail block and pins 18. v j d Said sound box 10 has the sound openings a perspective view of edgewlse elevation 15, preferably in the' front and rear sides 13 and 14 and back 12 rather than throughthe soundboard 11 to thereby increase-the resonating power of said sound board. The sound box 10 preferably has the tuning pinblock v16 with. the pins 17 thereinfor the attach- .ment of the upper ends of the strings, and th tail block 18, said strings preferably ,drawing over the crossbar l9 andbridges 20and21. f. I

The stringspreferably consist of theset of steel guitar are arranged near the front edgeof the sound board 11, being. drawn over the bridges 20 and 21 on saidsound board llbetween the tuning pins 17 and bar 19in Fig.1, and between pins 17 and tail'pins1'8 in Fig, 6, and having the position marks 27 beneath strings 22 tuned in unison, which .said guitar strings for playing thesame in the usual manner Other groups'of and 24 are provided, which other groups of accompaniment strings are preferably tuned to the chords represented inthe different letters as shown in Figs. 1 and 5; the one essential improvement in string arrangement being that the group 23 of accompaniment strings nearestto and alongsidesaid guitar strings 22 are tuned to the same major key as said guitar strings 22 so that the steel 48 used in playing said Hawaiian steel guitar strings 22 may extend over said adjacent accompaniment strings 23 tuned to chord with the open strings 22 and thereby enlarge the volume ofthe instrument and enable the player to obtain new and pleasing with the playing steel 48.

accompaniment strings 23 y effects heretofore unobtainable, the rest of said groups of accompaniment strings 24 being used to obtain the effect of one ormore other instruments accompanying the leading instrument, that is, the guitar strings 22 and first accompaniment group 23 which carry the melody. As stated, it is necessary that said adjacent group 23 of the accompaniment strings must be tuned to the same key as the guitar strings 22; thus in Fig. 1 the 'uitar strings 22 are tuned to the note of 6, whereas in Fig. 5 said guitar strings 22 are tuned to the note of F. In Fig. 1 the group of accompaniment strings are in the chord of C in order to play in harmony with the guitar strings 22 pitched to the note or key of C, and in Fig. 5 the group of accompaniment strings 23 is tuned to the chord of F in Order to play in harmony with the guitar strings 22 in the note or key of F.

In Fig. 1 at the rear side of the instrument, the regular arrangement .of guitar strings with fretted finger board is provided so that a melody may be carried upon said guitar strings, the frets 26 being provided beneath said guitar strings for playing the same in combination with the guitar strings 22. Instead of the arrangement of guitar strings 25 as shown in Fig. 1, mandolin strings 28 arranged as usual in pairs may be provided as shown in Fig. 5 with the finger board 29 having frets 30 thereon so that a mandolin effect may be obtained by the player in combination with the guitar strings 22 and accompaniment strings 23 and 24:.

In order to change the keyof the accompaniment strings 23 and 2 1, one 'or more angular fret bars 31 and 32 are preferably rotatably mounted in brackets 33 on the sound board 11 near the upper bridge 21, the angular ends 34 of said rotatable fret bars 31 and 32 permitting the quick and accurate actuation of the same, whereby they may be turned against the accompaniment strings 23 and 2 1 to change the same to different keys as desiredin combination with the strings 22. The rotative actuation of said rotatable fret bars 31 and 32' is preferably attained by .means of arm pressure as shown in Figs. 5,6, 7, 8 and 9. Said arm actuation is attained by means of the arm pressure board 35'androd 38 which is hinged tothe board 36 supported above the strings at the lower end of the sound box 10 by means of brackets 37. Said hinged arm pressure .board 35 is capable of downward movement lengthwise above the same so that the arm shallbe able to press quickly and positively upon said hinged board35 in pressing the same downward. Said hinged board 35is connected to the lower angular ends 34 of the fret bars 31 and W e ns O 311 and has the rod 38 39 having the spring 40 thereon and pins 41 to press against said angular ends 34:. The opposite end of said link39 is connected to the actuating hinged arm board 35 by means of the bell crank lever 12 and link 43, all pivotally connected to one another and to said pressure board 35 so that when the arm is pressed upon the rod 38, said board 35 is moved downwardin the degree desired. Thus when moved down slightly as shown in Fig. 7, the spring 40 enables the player to turn the fret bar 32 nearest the pin 17 and bar 21 into holding engagement against the accompaniment strings, thereby completely changing the chord or key of said accompaniment strings, but not of the strings 22; and when it is desired to change the key by turning the rotatable bar 31, the arm of the operator or player presses the rest bar 38 still farther downward, thereby actuating both'the rotatable fret bars 31 and 32 as shown in Fig. 8. As soon as it is desired to chang back to the normal key, the arm pressure is released on the bar 38, and the spring 10 instantly presses said rotatable bars and said actuating mechanism back to normal position.

Said rotatable bars 31 and 32 may be provided with pedal actuation as shown in Fig. 1, but the arm control is'far preferable for most instruments,being better under control and applicable to small and large instruments and does not take as much room, be-

ing arranged in'small space upon the sound box 10 closely adjacent thereto.

The sound box 10 is preferably constructed with the sound board 11 having the crosswise ribs 1 1 on the underside of thesame. In order to leave the sound board 11 free to resonate, it is found preferable to sup-' port said sound board by means of a crosswise bar 45 as shown in Fig. 2. The bar 15 engages upon the side cleats 46'at each end and has a plurality tween said preferably do not extend out against the edgewise pieces 13,'thereby leaving the sound board 11 free to resonate. Said sound board and sound box construction are claimed under another application, Serial No. 424,163, filed Nov. 15, 1920.

'Iclaim-as new:

1. In a musical instrument, steel guitar strings, accompaniment strings located alongside said strings and tuned to the same key, and a playing steel of sufiicient length to cover both sets of strings while playing the same.

2. In a musical instrument,

of support blocks 47 bea set of lead or melody strings and sets of accompaniment strings placed side by side, a plurality of rotatable fret bars arranged 'to bear against said sets of accompaniment strings to change the key of the same, a bar to rece ve arm pressure, and llnk and bell crank rib and the bar 45. The ribs 44 connection between said bar and said rotatable fret bars to actuate the same.

3. In a musical instrument, a set of lead or melody strings, strings alongside said set of lead or melody strings to be cooperatingly played therewith, a plurality of rotatable fret bars placed beneath said strings to change the key thereof, Said fret bars having angular ends, a pressure bar hinged at the tailof the instrument to receive arm pressure, a bell crank lever connected to said bar, link connection between said bell crank lever and the angular ends of said rotatable fret bars, and pins and a spring on said link to actuate one or more of said angular ends of said fret bars according to the amount of pressure on said bar.

4. In combination with a stringed instrument, a plurality of movable fret bars, a movable member, and means connecting said fret bars to the member whereby upon a certain movement of the member a predetermined one of said bars will be moved to operative position and upon a second movement of said member a second one of said bars will be moved to operative position.

5. In a stringed instrument, a set of sets of accompaniment strings, a set of accompaniment strings located adjacent to said first strings soas to be cooperatingly played and a playing steel of sufiicient length to cover both sets of strings. I

6. I11 combination with a stringed instrument, a plurality of movable fret bars, a movable member, hinged to the tailend of the instrument and extending thereacross, and connecting means between said fret bars and the member whereby upon predetermined downward movement of the member one of the bars will be moved'to operative position, and upon further downward movement of the member the other bar will be moved to operative position.

7. In combination with a stringed musical instrument, an elongated arm-controlled member hinged to and extending across the tail end of the instrument, a movable fret bar, and means to actuate said bar by said member.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE B. HARRINGTON. Witnesses:

' O. V. Swanson,

THEO. THOMAS HAAG. 

